rodomontade

English

WOTD – 2 November 2006

Alternative forms

• rhodomontade

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French rodomontade, a reference to Rodomonte, a character in (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Italian Renaissance epic poems Orlando innamorato and its sequel Orlando furioso. Compare rodomontado.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌɹɒ.də.mɒnˈtɑːd/, /ˌɹɒ.də.mɒnˈteɪd/
• IPA^(key): /ˌɹɑ.də.mənˈteɪd/, /ˌɹɑ.dəˌmɑnˈteɪd/, /ˌɹɑ.də.mənˈtɑd/, /ˌɹɑ.dəˌmɑnˈtɑd/

• Audio (US):

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Adjective

rodomontade (comparative more rodomontade, superlative most rodomontade)

1. Pretentiously boastful.

Noun

rodomontade (countable and uncountable, plural rodomontades)

1. Vain boasting; a rant; pretentious behaviour.
   • 1652, Thomas Urquhart, “Εκσκυβαλαυρον (The Jewel)”, in The Works of Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty, Knight‎^[1], Edinburgh: Thomas Maitland Dundrennan, published 1834, →ISBN, page 217:

     […] the Gasconads of France, Rodomontads of Spain, Fanfaronads of Italy, and Bragadochio brags of all other countries, could no more astonish his invincible heart, then would the cheeping of a mouse a bear robbed of her whelps.

   • 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter XI, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book IV:

     Indeed, there is much reason to imagine that there was not the least truth in what Mr Western affirmed, especially as he laid the scene of those impurities at the university, where Mr Allworthy had never been. In fact, the good squire was a little too apt to indulge that kind of pleasantry which is generally called rhodomontade: but which may, with as much propriety, be expressed by a much shorter word;

   • 1855, Sir Richard Burton, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah, Dover 1963, p. 67:

     He talks of her abroad as a stern and rigid master dealing with a naughty slave, though, by the look that accompanies his rhodomontade, I am convinced that at home he is the very model of "managed men."

Translations

vain boasting

• French: rodomontade (fr) f
• Irish: radamandádaíocht f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: fafarrice f
• Russian: бахва́льство (ru) n (baxválʹstvo)

Verb

rodomontade (third-person singular simple present rodomontades, present participle rodomontading, simple past and past participle rodomontaded)

1. To boast, brag or bluster pretentiously.